ABC Television Network
The Middle has become one of the strongest sitcoms on TV and one of the main reasons is the likability of the Heck family. A lot of people probably see a good amount of themselves when watching the show.
The Hecks are... well... in the middle of the spectrum when it comes to sitcom families. They are definitely not as perfect as the Cosbys but they are far from being as morally repugnant as the Bundys. Sure, they may often be at each other's throats, particularly the teenage siblings Axl and Sue, but you never seem to get the sense that there's any true malice behind their fights. Even when one of them goes too far, there's always something that happens to reel one or both of them back in.
At first, Eden Sher might seem grating Sue, but her dorkiness becomes endearing. Charlie McDermott straddles the line of insufferable late-teen male brat, you know, the one who is totally self-absorbed but has glimmers of the good person he will grow to become.
I've been a huge fan of Neil Flynn since his days as the Janitor on Scrubs. It's nice seeing him play counter to the surly maintenance man, portraying an introvert who is still (mostly) devoted to his family. There are some days he would rather park himself in front of the television and tune everyone else out. Sure, he's still a curmudgeon, but at least Mike Heck won't drive anyone out to the desert and leave him there like the psychotic Janitor did with J.D. Flynn also allows Mike to show genuine moments of insight to filter their way through his irascible persona.
Patricia Heaton has been great as Frankie, a mother who is far from June Cleaver. she has admittedly ignored her kids and husband, though not to the point of where it is harmful. She is just overwhelmed by what life throws sometimes, but what makes me root for her is that she is self-aware and overall, she is a fantastic mother. She's a sublime comedy partner with Flynn.
Last, but not least, is the diminutive Brick, played by Atticus Shaffer. Brick could just be a punchline, just a young, stunted version of Sheldon Cooper, since both characters exhibit the same amount of social awkwardness. Brick has shown that he can peer through his fog of cluelessness and neuroses (I love how he sometimes lowers his head and whispers the last word of a sentence a second time). He comes across as a real person.
The guest stars are just right, with people like Jerry Van Dyke, Norm McDonald, and Kenneth Parcell lending their talents to the show without taking over. They feel like real relatives and bosses, not caricatures. Great casting all around.
I'm glad to sit down during the middle of my week to devote a half hour to watching the Hecks.
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Warner Bros via Everett Collection
There's a saying: Good things come to those who wait. That probably won't apply to the Batman and Superman movie that Warner Bros. and DC just pushed to 2016. There's a very good chance that this would put the franchises even further behind those of their most direct competitor: Marvel and Disney.
Sure, Batman has made a good amount of money in the movie theaters, though the most recent installment was somewhat disappointing. Add the fact that there is a somewhat hasty feel to all of these movies being made to tie into a Justice League of America film, it just feels like DC is forever going to be playing catch-up. This is definitely a marketplace where constantly playing from behind is not good.
If they wait until 2016, there's a very strong chance that Marvel will have managed to get an even stronger foothold in the whole Superhero movie genre, what with Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America and a likely Hulk movie all on the way, along with something called Avengers 2: Age of Ultron that will probably take over the world.
Henry Cavill did a great job as Superman - and his last movie made over $290 million. The last Dark Knight movie made over $448 million domestically. The Avengers made nearly that alone with ONE MOVIE. There's a pretty good chance that Age of Ultron will just completely obliterate that. Then you have a real wild card: Ben Affleck as Batman. The reception to this announcement was ... mixed, to say the least. Many people pointed to his turn as Daredevil as a negative mark in his ledger. Add that he's playing another brooding character with horns and people are ready for this to full-on stink. Affleck has made a good turn lately being a movie director and there are those who wish that he had decided to stay on that side of the camera.
The other possibility is that by the time that 2016 rolls around, comic book movies will have taken a backseat to Star Wars again. Oh yes, Episode VII will have come out and even the Avengers may have fallen by the wayside to the Force. Oh yes! Another Disney project. So, this movie might come out and ... nothing. Sure, it'll probably make $100 million, but for such a huge possible blockbuster, that would be nothing short of a disaster.
So, this is a gamble and as with anything with gambling, there is a chance that lightning may strike and this turns out to be the best move. But then again, as is often the case, everything could go wrong and the people involved could all be left stumbling home, having lost a lot of money and wondering what the heck just happened. We'll see the results in two years.
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Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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CBS
Recently, We Are Men was canceled after only two episodes aired. That was too many episodes, in my opinion. They tried to use the crutch of the man who bands with his "bros" over the "shrill, angry" women who would ruin their fun. People didn't want to see emotionally adolescent men stay stuck in those mindsets for a whole season. In other words, the crutch broke REAL fast.
The thing is, the TV genre of "man doing dumb things" on TV has been dwindling. There have been several in the last few seasons, including How to Be A Gentleman, Man Up! and Work It! (the last two were separate shows, though I am afraid someone may come out with a show called Man Up And Work It!) and were all cancelled quickly. At least Last Man Standing has Tim Allen's genial presence behind it and actually has good messages amidst the gags. Though the Duck Dynasty cash-in episode that shoehorned in religion was juuuuuuuuuust a bit heavy-handed.
I think that audiences have really recognized how lazy the premises of these shows are. Yes, men can do dumb, stupid, and crude things. There's always reality shows like Jersey Shore and their ilk if they want to see it up close. When it is played on sitcoms, it just distorts these men into even more grotesque caricatures of themselves and it rapidly devolves into pure stupidity.
Sure, there are shows where men act plenty silly and goofy, but they also show themselves to be capable of being mature adults when the time calls for. The failed shows paint the guys as those who would be rushing fraternities until they were 90.
So, sorry Jerry O'Connell, Christopher Nicholas Smith, Tony Shalhoub and Kal Penn - the next time that your agent pitches you for a casting call for one of these types of shows, your best bet is to politely decline...and then run very quickly for the door.
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DreamWorks Studios
When a highly-anticipated and heavily advertised movie hits the theaters and bombs, it's got to create a truly unusual feeling for all involved. It would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall for the reactions of Benedict Cumberbatch upon his learning that The Fifth Estate averaged $969 per theater over the opening weekend.
"Wow. That's marvelous. $969 thousand per theater? Excellent start!""... No, Benedict. That's dollars. Just dollars. $969. Nine-hundred sixty-nine." "I need to go for a walk. A very long walk."
Seeing that made me think of five other recent and historically bad openings:
Machete Kills (2013)
This was not a good year for openings. It's a bit of a surprise, since it's packed to the gills with stars and people seemed to love the first one. It pulled in $3.8 milllon, which was spread out over 2,500 theaters. This equals -- and please bear in mind, I was never good at math -- not a lot. I just hope Danny Trejo's Machete doesn't track down the people who didn't see this movie.
Jobs (2013)
The subject matter was awesome: Steve Jobs! But people just couldn't get past the fact that it was Ashton Kutcher in the role. The other problem was that the movie only focused on a narrow slice of his life, and there was so much to his whole story. It opened to $6.8 million. That may have been lower than the amount Kutcher makes per episode on Two And A Half Men. Dude, you got Punk'd at the theater!
It's Pat (1994)
This movie, based around a person of ambigious sexuality played by Julia Sweeney on a series of Saturday Night Live skits, had a very limited theater run, and it's a good thing: It got terrible reviews and supposedly earned only around $60,000 TOTAL. It was unambiguously yanked out of the theaters very quickly.
Major League: Back To the Minors (1998)
Audience members sent this film back to the bush leagues, paying only a little over $2 million in its opening weekend. Of course, with no Charlie Sheen and Scott Bakula taking over the lead role, the lack of interest is understandable. Bakula probably said in his best Quantum Leap voice, "Ohhhh boy..." when he saw the numbers.
The Oogieloves in Big Balloon Adventures (2012)
This was supposed to be from a popular kids' series, but a movie that looked like the Teletubbies on acid only raked in $443,000 in its opening weekend. I'm sure that cast members like Cary Elwes and Christopher Lloyd called Cumberbatch to tell them that it could have been a LOT worse.
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NBC Universal Media
Right now, it looks like another Law &amp; Order vehicle may be on the rocks. It's Law &amp; Order: SVU, the last of the venerable show and its spinoffs. The show's been on the air since 1999 and while the viewership numbers are still there for the most part...it's been on for nearly 15 years. Can it stay strong or is it on its last legs?
There's been a lot of turnover, with Chris Meloni first leaving and then B.D. Wong also left (but returned). Richard Belzer recently decided to leave as well. I'll definitely miss the wise-cracking Munch, though the door was left open for cameos. So it's left up to Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T, both originals, to hold down the fort as the regulars. It also seems like the two district attorney's just tag-team each other when it comes to their time on the show. I never got a good feel for that new cop, the one with the gambling problem, and there's only so far that Hargitay and Ice-T can carry the show.
When it comes to shows like this, even ones that remain somewhat fresh and topical by grabbing their plots from the headlines, there has to be an end. Unfortunately, this might be that times where the show is slouching towards the exit. It's not necessarily a bad thing - though I do wish it would be able to go out on its own terms. What would that be? Ice-T's character reveals that he's really the real Ice-T deep undercover and he wants to resurrect Body Count and do a real-life 'Cop Killer'? (If you don't get that reference, Google it - I think I just aged myself by even mentioning it.)
These shows have all weathered plenty of cast turnover, and with Dick Wolf's streak of producing shows with remarkable longevity, it's never a good idea to count these shows out until the last light goes off on the set and the doors are locked. I tell you...when it happens, I'm going to miss hearing the "In the criminal justice system..." intro. Then an era will have truly ended. Then we wait and see what Wolf brings us next.
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NBC
Mini-series have long been a great way to while away a summer. The form had largely disappeared, but Under The Dome, an adaptation of a Stephen King novel of the same name, has seen a revival.The 1980s had the best ones, though. Part of it may have been the fact that we had a lot fewer distractions then, with many fewer channels, no cellphones or internet. Here's five of the best Miniseries from the age of shoulderpads and Swatches.
Shogun (1980)
A rare case of the TV show/movie being as good as the book. They did a great job of bringing James Clavell's massive tome of the same name to life. Richard Chamberlain excelled as a white man in feudal Japan. Also, anything with Toshiro Mifune, who was one of the greatest Japanese actors of all time, in it can't be bad.
The Thorn Birds (1983)
This was a sprawling story that covered 60 years in the lives of the Cleary Family and starred Chamberlain as a priest who falls tragically in love with a woman. He OWNED the mini-series market during the '80s. He wasn't the most dominant Chamberlain, though. Wilt was having his way with thousands of women during this decade.
V: The Final Battle (1984)
The original campy version in the '80s definitely outshone the recent remake. Marc Singer was great as one of the main protagonists in this battle for the planet Earth against aliens who definitely aren't friendly like E.T.. The warlike extra-terrestrial visitors in this mini-series would eat that Reeses Pieces-loving alien for lunch.
North and South (1985)
A mini-series about the Civil War with a young Patrick Swayze, well before his Roadhouse and Dirty Dancing days. No, he didn't become a ghost and begin dancing during the series. It also had Kirstie Alley, David Carradine, and Johnny Cash. Cash didn't sing "Hurt" during this either.
Shaka Zulu (1986)
Christopher Lee was in it. Enough said. Anything with a badass like him is automatically worth watching. Even his character's name, Lord Bathurst, sounds like someone you don't want to mess with. The funny thing is that most of the mini- series takes place during a time after the titular character was dead.
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Daniel Deme / WENN
Bestseling author Stephen King is releasing a sequel to The Shining called Doctor Sleep. Danny Torrence is all grown up and has become a drunk, though one who gets visits from the remaining ghosts from the Overlook Hotel. Is it a good idea? I'm not sure about that.
Please bear in mind that King scares me and I don't want him to think bad about me saying this. Think I'm being paranoid? The guy who accidentally hit him with his van while the author was walking on the road died in his sleep like a year later. I still love your books, Stephen!
The thing is...this is a different King. The master of horror wrote what some consider one of his greatest works while under the influence of alcohol. Is he able to recreate that same sense today? He's more refined today, but there was just something visceral and raw about that first book that he might not be able to recreate today. I also hope that he doesn't have Danny write "All Work and No Play Make Danny A Dull Boy" for 500 pages.
King's legacy is rock solid, and even if this book is a dud in the selling sense. Which I don't think it will be, since people would likely buy his grocery list and send it skyrocketing up the bestseller list. Still, it seems more like a step back for him, possibly trying to get the sentimental grab. Again, not accusing you of anything, Stephen. Got all your books! Even The Tommyknockers!
I'm hoping that I'm wrong and that King hits another ball out of the park and that it's another classic. He's definitely done enough to gain the benefit of the doubt. Of course, I'm a bit of a hypocrite, since if I found out that he was doing another Dark Tower book, I'd be all over that.
I also don't want to see REDRUM written on my own wall, thanks.
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ABC
There have been many, many great sit-com characters over the decades. Here are 10 that were the cream of the crop.
Sophia Petrillo: The Golden Girls
The show was an ensemble, but Petrillo and her sharp tongue and wit often stole the spotlight. She often told long-winded tales that began with "Picture it... " but behind her acerbic demeanor was a woman who fiercely loved her daughter, Dorothy. The interplay between the two often was the funniest part of the show. Shady Pines' loss was our gain.
Dr. Perry Cox: Scrubs
The man gave primers on how to give the best long-winded, angry rants that were simultanously hilarious. John C. McGinley was able to show this doctor who had the shortest fuse with anything that he perceived as incompetent as being capable of then turning around and espousing some wisdom that showed the way for people to figure things out. I am still mad though that they couldn't have a Cox-Dr. Gregory House face-off.
Louie DePalma: Taxi
The dimunitive Danny DeVito gave a heart and personality that was twice his size. In a show that featured such out-sized actors like Christopher Lloyd and Andy Kaufman, DeVito outshone them both.
Frasier Crane: Cheers/Frasier
Kelsey Grammer imbued humanity on someone who could have been viewed as merely pompous. Frasier was someone who often was unable to let his brain and his feelings reconcile while in the pursuit of romance. It didn't help that he had a neurotic brother who was in the middle of his own romantic crisis.
Cosmo Kramer: Seinfeld
Sure, Kramer was a nut, but Michael Richards added layers to the zaniness. The main lesson that I learned from him though is: Always lock your front door. I never understood why Seinfeld always had the door open. What is it with people who leave their front doors unlocked? Oops. I'm going off on a Seinfeld stand-up joke tangent...
Barney Stinson: How I Met Your Mother
Stinson may be a complete womanizer and near-sociopath, but he's also loyal to his friends at the very end. He may have been the archetype of hedonistic bachelorhood, but now we'll find out if he commits to a life with Robin? What makes Barney so great is that while he is a total self-centered buffoon, there's that little, tiny sliver of humanity in him too.
Archie Bunker: All in the Family
In this ultra PC world, I don't think Carroll O'Connor would have been allowed to even play the character, even with the depth that he displayed. Actually, he could, but it would have to be on a cable channel like FX. He's probably be another character on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Cliff Huxtable: The Cosby Show
Here's a man who gave a portrayal of a smart and very involved family man - who was black. That hadn't been seen that often on TV before and Cosby rightfully is hailed for doing so. This was the happy Cosby, not the grumpy one from that different Cosby show that aired years later on another network.
Ralph Kramden: The Honeymooners
One of the first sitcom archetypes -- the loud, blowhard husband. Jackie Gleason, made the character his own, though, and no one else could touch the part. Cedric, I'm looking at you. People might not like that "Bam, to the moon!" threat nowadays, but even back then, you just KNEW that if he had actually laid a hand on Alice, he would have wound up wearing his bus steering wheel around his neck.
Roseanne Connor: Roseanne
Sure, her character was supposedly the product of a writer's imagination, but she was a darn good mother and person on the show, despite her sassy mouth. Under that hard exterior beat a heart of gold. I always loved the back-and-forth with her and Jackie.
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If there's a cinematic alchemy award to be given this year director Bill Condon deserves to take it home after magically turning the tedious Twilight franchise into entertainment gold. 2011's Part 1 was a horror camp romp that turned the supernatural love triangle — the naval gazing trio of Bella Edward and Jacob — on its head. Breaking Dawn - Part 2 continues the madcap exploration of a world populated by vampires and werewolves mining even more comedy thrills and genuine character moments out of conceit than ever before. The film occasionally sidesteps back into Edward and Bella's meandering romance (an evident hurdle of author Stephenie Meyer's source material) but the duller moments are overshadowed by the movie's nimble pace and playful attitude. Breaking Dawn - Part 2 will elicit laughs aplenty — but thankfully they're all on purpose.
Part 2 picks up immediately following the events of the first film Bella (Kristen Stewart) having been turned into a vampire by Edward (Robert Pattinson) to save her life after the torturous delivery of her half-human half-vampire child Renesmee. She awakes to discover super senses heightened agility increased strength… and a thirst for blood. One dead cougar later Bella and the gang are able to focus on the real troubles ahead: Renesmee is rapidly growing (think Jack) and vampiric overlords The Volturi perceive her a threat to vampiric secrecy. Knowing the Volturi will travel to Forks WA to kill the young girl (a 10-year-old just a month after being born) The Cullens amass an army of bloodsucking friends to end the oppression once and for all.
Packed with an absurd amount of backstory and mythology-twisting plot points (some vampires can shoot lightning now?) Condon and series screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg mine revel in the beefed up ensemble of Breaking Dawn - Part 2 and thanks to a wildly funny cast it never feels like pointless deviation. Along with the usual suspects Lee Pace adds swagger to the series as a grungy alt-rock vampire Noel Fisher appears as a hilarious over-the-top battle-ready Russian coven member and Michael Sheen returns has Volturi head honcho Aro and steels the show. Flamboyant diabolical and a steady stream of maniacal laughter Sheen owns Condon's high camp vision for Twilight and he lights up the screen. There are a few throw away nations of vampires — the oddly stereotypical Egyptian and Amazonians sects are there mostly there to off-set the extreme whiteness — but the actors involved bring liveliness to a franchise known for being soulless. Even Stewart Pattinson and Taylor Lautner give personal bests in this installment — a scene between Bella and her dad Charlie (Billy Burke) is genuinely heartfelt while Jacob's overprotective hero schtick finally lands.
Whereas Breaking Dawn - Part 1 stuck mostly to the personal story relying on the intimate moments as Bella and Edward took the big plunge into marriage and sex Part 2 paints with broader strokes and Condon has a ball. Delving into the history of the vampires and the vampire world outside Forks is Pandora's Box for the director. One scene where we learn why kids scare the heck of the Volturi captures a scope of medieval epics — along with the bloodshed. Twilight might be known for its sexual moments but Breaking Dawn - Part 2 will go down for its abundance of decapitations. The big set piece in the finale is something to behold both in the craftsmanship of the spectacle and in its bizarre nature.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 had the audience hooting hollering and even gasping as it twisted and turned to the final moments. There's little doubt that even the biggest naysayer of the franchise would do the same. No irony here: the conclusion of Twilight is a blast.